Eleven religions are usually regarded as living and current at present. These, proceeding from East to West, are: 1. Shintoism born in Japan, 2. Taoism (or Laotsism), and 3. Confucianism, in China; Vedism (or Vaidika Dharma, or Sanatana Dharma or Manava Dharma, now commonly called Hinduism), 5. Buddhism, 6. Jainism and 7. Sikhism, in India; 8. Zoroastrianism (or Parsism) in Iran (or Persia); 9. Judaism (or Hebraism, or Israelitism, or the Jewish religion), and 10. Christianity, in Palestine; 11. Islam (or Mohammedanism), in Arabia. Parallel passages have been gathered in this work from the universally recognised Scriptures, and also from some other generally and highly honored writings, of these eleven.

From ‘A Letter to the Reader´ as Preface to the Second Edition (p. xxv):

” Dear Reader, I pray you, unless you have found, and made sure of, a better way, to read about an Ancient Way, leisurely, in this book. Endeavour is made here, albeit very imperfectly, to expound, no new way, but the Way of the Ancients, a Way which is time-tested also to some extent. If you feel satisfied that that Way is worth experimenting with, then I pray you to do all you can to spread, as widely as may be possible for you, this Essential Message of all the Scriptures, as preparation for the Readjustment and Synthesis. “

The wisdom of inspired Seers is recorded in various Samhitas, Sutras, Smrtis and other fragments. The corpus of all these is Sanatana Dharma, Eternal Order of Dharma. Through millennia, Hindu society was moulded by it. Though necessarily Indian in garb, its principles have a timeless relevance to any society, anywhere, any time.

It is striking that the first ever serious attempt at drawing from the vast, nebulous, scattered sources the principles of Sanatana Dharma and codifying them was left to Annie Besant, foreign by birth, but more truly Indian than an Indian could be. In compiling this brilliant work, she was ably assisted by a team of eminent Sanskrit scholars headed by no less a savant than Bharata Ratna, Dr Bhagavan Das.

Annie Besant, President of the Theosophical Society from 107 to 1933, was described as a ‘Diamond Soul’ for she had many brilliant facets to her character. As a spiritual teacher she inspired thousands of men and women all over the world. She was an outstanding orator of her time, a champion of human freedom, educationist, philanthropist and author with more than three hundred books and pamphlets to her credit. From 1893, she lived in India and worked indefatigably for the cultural and spiritual renaissance of the country. She organized the Home Rule movement and inspired Indian with a dynamic vision of India’s future.
The keynote of all her varied activities was her unswerving loyalty to Truth. To quote her own words:
She (Truth) may lead me into the wilderness, yet I must follow her; she may strip me of all love, yet I must pursue her; though she slay me, yet will I trust in her; and I ask no other epitaph on my tomb but ‘She tried to follow ‘Truth’.

Sanatana Dharma is the Eternal Wisdom or Order. Through millennia, India’s culture was moulded by it. Its principles have a timeless relevance to humanity in general. In this work, Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das have drawn the principles of Sanatana Dharma from the vast, nebulous, scattered sources, and have presented them in an integrated, abridged form for students below the college level.